A Sicilian Fairytale
Dua Lipa and Callum Turner host lavish £1.5M Sicily wedding celebration with star-studded guests
Key Points
In the first images from the Sicily celebrations, Dua Lipa captioned the post on Instagram simply “Mr And Mrs,” sharing that the photos were taken by photographer David Sims.
A number of outlets noted the Villa Valguarnera vow exchange was ceremonial only: it had “no legal significance,” since the couple had already officially married earlier at Marylebone Town Hall, and the blessing/vows were described as being for about 150 family members.
The historic Villa Valguarnera where the main ceremony took place was first commissioned in 1712 by Anna Gravina, Princess of Gravina and Valguarnera, and the estate sits atop a hill overlooking the Gulf of Palermo.
Local pushback included disruption from road closures and a sense of entitlement over the takeover. One resident quoted via The Guardian said: “It’s not right to block the city,” adding, “I could understand if it was for the pope, but not for a singer.”
Callum Turner’s look for the main event was described as a Louis Vuitton suit, and other coverage specified his ceremony attire as a black tuxedo with a red flower pinned to the lapel.
Dua Lipa and Callum Turner capped off a £1.5 million wedding with a three-day celebration in Sicily, sharing the first official photos on June 20 with a simple Instagram caption: "Mr and Mrs." HELLO! reported the images were shot by photographer David Sims at the historic Villa Valguarnera in Bagheria, outside Palermo.
The couple had already legally married on May 31 at Old Marylebone Town Hall in London, with just eight guests present, according to The Sun. The Sicily event — purely ceremonial — was designed as a lavish, fashion-forward showcase for roughly 150 to 200 family members and friends.
A Chanel Gown Built Over 1,000 Hours
For the main outdoor vow exchange on June 6, Lipa wore a Chanel haute couture gown designed by Matthieu Blazy. It was Blazy's first bridal look since joining Chanel from Bottega Veneta. HELLO! reported the dress contained 480,000 beads, 25,000 feathers, and took 1,000 hours of handwork to complete. It featured an open back, a feathered train, and an embroidered long veil.
Lipa wore different designer outfits for each stage of the multi-day event. These included looks from Bottega Veneta, Schiaparelli, and Chloé. For her London civil ceremony, Vogue noted she wore a Schiaparelli couture skirt suit — a nod to Bianca Jagger's 1971 wedding look. Callum Turner wore a Louis Vuitton suit with a black tuxedo and red flower for the main ceremony.
Elton John, Fireworks, and a Star-Studded Guest List
The June 6 ceremony at Villa Valguarnera — first built in 1712 — was followed by a banquet and a late-night party, according to Vanity Fair. Elton John performed a live version of "Your Song." The night ended with a 10-minute fireworks display over the Gulf of Palermo.
Guests included Donatella Versace and Charli xcx, among other fashion and music figures. CNN reported the three-day schedule also featured a pre-wedding cocktail reception at Palazzo Valguarnera Gangi on June 5 and a post-wedding brunch on June 7. Sicilian food — including cannoli, cassata, and panelle — was served throughout, with nods to Lipa's Albanian heritage woven into the festivities.
Palermo Residents Push Back on Wedding Takeover
Not everyone celebrated. The Guardian reported that protest groups like Apro Palermo distributed posters reading "Palermo is not for rent" and "Our square is not your living room." Road closures and restricted public access frustrated many locals. One resident told the outlet: "It's not right to block the city. I could understand if it was for the pope, but not for a singer."
Lipa reportedly paid £5,000 ($6,300) to local residents to offset parking disruptions, according to The Sun. Palermo Mayor Roberto Lagalla defended the event, calling it a "great honor" and citing "visibility and economic growth" for the city. Bagheria's mayor added that the wedding helped shift the area's image away from its historic association with organized crime.
Why the Couple Married Twice in Two Countries
The two-ceremony approach was both legal and strategic. The London civil wedding at Marylebone Town Hall — previously used by Paul McCartney and Liam Gallagher — satisfied UK legal requirements. The Sicily event had "no legal significance," as CNN noted. This let the couple keep the legal moment private while designing a separate, media-ready destination celebration.
The result was a controlled fashion rollout spread over several days. Each event got its own designer look, its own setting, and its own photo moment. Total costs ran between £1.5 million and $1.73 million, according to Vanity Fair. The strategy turned a wedding into a sustained, cross-platform fashion and cultural story — one still generating coverage three weeks after the couple first said "I do."
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